The Vietnam Soldier

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Chasing Charlie Notes


  1. David's platoon was ordered on a search and destroy mission to nail as many Indians as possible near the city of Hue.
  2. At 0800 a helicopter dropped them in a landing zone under enemy fire.
  3. Because he was a Newby, Lt. Walker made him the point man (leader). He faced dangerous conditions.
  4. His buddy from Cleveland, Rusty, went down with dehydration.
  5. As they reached a village suspected of aiding the VC, they put the houses on fire and he was shot in the shoulder by a Viet Cong sniper.
  6. They took him to a hospital in Danang. He has been there for 3 weeks. He'll probably return to the States.

A Grunt's War Notes


  • Firefight!: It is pitch dark, the VC own the night. It is very hot outside and your sweating. You step on something and you're terrified. You think of all the possible mines, bomb, tunnels, booby traps and else. You ask yourself why are you even here, you gotta survive this war.
  • A Unique War: This undeclared war is very different from the others. In WWI, "doughboys" fought battles in trenches, in WWII, GIs fought massive invasion battles in North Africa, Europe, and South Pacific. Their experiences were very different from the soldiers in Vietnam.
  • Who Served?: Foot soldiers were often in patrol in Vietnam. They searched for the enemy. They were called "grunts". The average grunt was white and came from a small town in America. Most were 21-22 years old. About 10-20% were African American. Yet, the African Americans made up for 20% of the combat deaths. How did a grunt experience the Vietnam War?
  • First Impressions: New recruits often trained in boot camps. A commercial jet transported them to Vietnam. When they arrived, the heat was overwhelming and the smells were too much. The sights, smells, sounds struck them. The first impression of Vietnam was not a pleasant one.
  • Into the Bush: New combat soldiers were taken to a base camp. Platoons consisted of 20-40 corporals and privates. A lieutentant usually led a platoon. One or two grunts were trained as the radiotelephone operators. RTO were very important.
  • Pack and Weapons: Typical grunt's pack weighed 35-70 pounds. Primary weapon was the M-16 rifle. Some carried machine guns. Took explosive device called Clayomore.
  • Gungis and Cherries: Cherries were newbies and gungis were defiantly unafraid of the enemy.